Annual Community Thanksgiving Eve Service

Submitted by Pr. Charley Vogeley

The annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Service will be held on Wednesday, November 26th at Our Lady of Fatima R.C. Church located at the corner of Manorhaven Boulevard and Cottonwood Road.

Registered runners picking up their race packets on Wednesday night at the Senior Center for Thursday’s annual “Turkey Trot” sponsored by the Community Chest may come across the street to the 8:00p.m. service. A blessing might be helpful to your raced time! You may ask one of the rabbis, priests, or ministers to bless your numbered bib.

Sponsored by the Port Washington Clergy Association, now chaired by Temple Beth Israel’s Rabbi Michael Mishkin, the ecumenical service of gratitude is a Port tradition since 1940.

Planning the service is Fatima’s pastoral team, including the Reverend Sr. Gerri O’Neill, O.P., the Reverend Sr. Kathy Somerville, O.P., and the Reverend Fr. Steve Peterson. The service includes scripture readings from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, music, prayers and the Presidential Proclamation declaring a National Day of Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving message will be delivered by the Reverend Ms. Laurel Scott, minister at the United Methodist Church.

A free will offering shall be gathered. The offering will be shared by the Outreach ministries of Fatima and St. Peter’s and by North Shore – LIJ’s building program for a Bio-Containment Unit to address future infectious disease outbreaks. Worshipers are invited also to bring non-perishable foods to the service for the local pantries. Please do not bring outdated food as they cannot be distributed legally.

For more information, please call Fatima’s Rectory at 767-0781.

Photo: Our Lady of Fatima’s pastoral team. L to R: Sr. Kathy Somerville, O.P., Father Steve Peterson, Pastor; and, Sr. Gerri O’Neill, O.P.